Burglary suspect suspected again

By JOSEPH G. COTE

Staff Writer

PELHAM – Police tracked down a Pelham man they say is responsible for a burglary in town for a second time this month. Both times a key piece of evidence was footprints.

Police were called to the Grand 38 Restaurant on Bridge Street the morning of Jan. 17 and found that thousands of dollars of damage had been done inside, including broken windows, doors, cash registers and vending machines, police said.

While processing the scene, police found blood, cloth fibers and partial footprints. It turned out that police recognized the footprints from another burglary on Birch Lane on Jan. 3, said Pelham Lt. Gary Fisher.

Based on that evidence, police got a search warrant for Jeffrey Langenfeld’s 2 Birch Lane home in Pelham. There they found more evidence – blood, glass and fiber – that appeared to match evidence left at the restaurant, and jewelry linked to the Jan. 3 daytime burglary, police said.

A second search warrant was obtained at Salem District Court allowing police to seize DNA from Langenfeld, police said.

Langenfeld is accused of breaking through the glass doors into the Chinese restaurant’s vestibule, then through another set of doors into the restaurant itself.

Once inside, he is accused of damaging the registers and vending machines and allegedly took money from them. A butcher’s knife was also taken during the break-in, Fisher said.

Langenfeld cut himself on some of broken glass at the restaurant, Fisher said, giving police the unusual chance to use DNA analysis in a burglary investigation.

The blood samples are still being analyzed by the State Police Crime Lab in Concord, police said. Langenfeld hasn’t yet been arrested, but police know where he is and don’t anticipate trouble arresting him, Fisher said. The warrant charges Langenfeld with felony burglary, criminal mischief, possession of cocaine and receiving stolen property, police said.

Joseph G. Cote can be reached at 594-6415 or jcote@nashuatelegraph.com.